Uncle John Update

We got back from St Louis late last night. It was mad dash up I-70 after getting a frantic phone call from one of my cousins who said �that freakin� (he didn�t really say �freakin�) hospital isn�t treating Uncle John right.

Or even humanly. Like slapping a Depends on him and then not changing it for 12 hrs. Or tube feeding him because it�s easier than taking the time to feed him. The cousin had a long list of other offenses too.

I swear, don�t leave your love ones alone in the hospital if they can�t fend for themselves. It�s not that the staff doesn�t care, it�s that what little staff there is is stretched in so many directions that they aren�t able to give good care. It�s all putting out brush fires and an 86 year old man who is terminal doesn�t excite a nursing staff into action.

The cousins love John as much as we do, but they are software engineers and interior designers, so they left hospital confrontation to me...or rather Ol Doc Hawk, who after watching the war on teevee for 3 days was just looking for some butt to kick. And the higher up the hospital food chain the better. You don�t want to be around Hawk if he thinks you are slacking. He can be a real bitch.

Let me explain that when I was in the hospital with one of my eye surgeries and couldn�t move my head for several days, John was not only a frequent visitor, he had a caterer deliver gourmet dinners to the hospital, enough for the family and the entire nursing staff. Only John could turn eye surgery into a dinner party. John paved the way for this pink sheep in the family. I own him.

So we arrived in St Louis Saturday afternoon. John was alert enough that he recognizes us right away. He even flirted a little with Ray, calling him �Dr Gorgeous�. He always thought Ray was hot. We all teared up a little. He looked terrible and didn�t smell like a spring morning.

Ray went looking for the charge nurse.I went looking for soap, water and clean sheets. Poor John has a terrible case of diaper rash and the beginning of some pressure sores. This is just unacceptable. After getting spiffed up, John proclaimed that he felt like �a new girl�.

Did I mention he was quite the diva in his day? Think about Nathan Lane and you might get the picture. He not only did drag, but he sang in several professional opera companies, usually as a spear carrier, but still, he had a life on the stage.

Meanwhile, After Ray put the hapless charge nurse on the defensive, he went a few rounds with the Nursing Supervisor. She sucked up a little to him, acted shocked, but then blamed �weekend staffing� on the neglect. Ray then took a bite out of a resident, who turfed his concerns off as �nursing problems�, but referred him on to the attending physician, who promised to �look into it Monday� but states for the record that 'I really have nothing to do with nursing care'

That�s when Ray got grouchy and decided to remove John from the hospital �against medical advice�. On the self-righteous authority that he was the boyfriend of the patient�s great nephew.

Be glad you missed it.

Anyway, what ended up happening is that we moved John to the �skilled nursing facility� of the retirement community where he already lived. It�s one of those pricey places that promise to take care of you for life. He knows people there and friends can easily come visit. We aren�t looking for a life saving miracle, just some kindly caregivers that will let him spend whatever time is left in comfort.

That�s not a lot to ask.

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